Desafinado Bangku by Cass Saldanha is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Perunggu in Desain Furnitur Competition Category.
PerungguFurnitur· 2026
Desafinado Bangku
Client: SAL+Co
A' Design Award Perunggu Winner in Furnitur Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #180459The Design
About Desafinado Bangku
Desafinado adalah sebuah bangku yang dirancang sebagai studi tentang keseimbangan dan kesederhanaan yang terkendali. Bentuknya mengikuti kejernihan gaya Skandinavia, dengan garis-garis lurus dan geometri yang sederhana, dipadukan dengan bobot dan ketegasan modernisme brutalis Brasil. Proporsinya yang rendah mengundang postur duduk yang santai, sementara celah pemisah antara dudukan dan sandaran menciptakan ketegangan visual. Tonjolan yang dirancang dengan sengaja menyeimbangkan dudukan dan sandaran ke arah yang berlawanan. Bangku ini hampir seluruhnya terbuat dari kayu ek Eropa dengan pewarna hitam, dan bantalan tipis yang dijahit tangan dari kulit pelana Brasil menyempurnakan bagian dudukannya.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award Perunggu
Desafinado Bangku adalah pemenang A' Design Award Perunggu, pengakuan yang sangat bergengsi yang diberikan kepada desain luar biasa yang dicirikan oleh kreativitas, kecerdikan, dan ketajaman. Pemenang Perunggu adalah artefak yang sangat terampil dan sangat kreatif yang membuktikan pengalaman luas, imajinasi, dan kelihaian para desainernya. Desafinado Bangku diharapkan menjadi objek yang sangat dihargai, dikagumi, dan dicintai, sangat profesional dan inovatif. Desain pemenang A' Design Award Perunggu ini menyertakan praktik terbaik dalam seni, sains, desain, dan teknologi, dan sangat baik dalam perhatiannya pada detail. Desafinado Bangku memuaskan kebutuhan dengan indah, menyentuh keinginan, memikat perasaan, dan menarik rasa ingin tahu.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- The Desafinado bench is conceived as a study in balance and restraint. Rooted in Scandinavian design, it relies on simple, straight lines and clear geometry. The low-lying proportions invite a relaxed posture, while the split between back and seat creates a visual tension. An intentional overhang balances the extended seat and back to opposite directions, turning structure into function.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Materials:
Black Stained Oak
Seat in saddle leather
Dimensions:
Width: 130 inches or 39624 mm
Depth: 16 inches or 4876.8 mm
Height: 22 inches or 6705.6 mm
Seat Height: 12 inches or 3657.6 mm - Tags
- Bench, Brazilian, wood, Balance, furniture
- Production Technology
- The bench is built almost entirely from a single material: European oak. Finished with a black stain, the wood emphasizes grain, mass, and shadow. This restrained material choice reinforces the clarity of the design, allowing form, proportion, and structure to define the piece without distraction.
The bench is complemented with a thin, hand-stitched seat cushion upholstered in authentic Brazilian saddle leather forced from local small business. - Inspiration
- The piece draws from Scandinavian clarity, but it is grounded in Brazilian brutalist modernism. Its forms are direct and architectural rather than delicate or refined. The bench avoids excessive polish, embracing weight, presence, and material honesty. This subtle roughness distinguishes it from Japanese minimalism and reinforces its brutalist character.
- Project Duration
- Conceived in Miami in 2022, the project evolved through an intensive four-month prototyping phase and reached its final form in August of that year. The bench exists as a true one-of-one piece; all remaining prototypes were deliberately destroyed upon completion, reinforcing its singularity.
- Operation Flow
- Beyond simple seating, the Desafinado Bench invites multiple uses: a surface to recline or stretch, a platform for books and objects, or an architectural element that works as a space divider or low table. It shifts easily between function and presence, adapting to the way the body and the room engage with it.
- Patents
- Copyrights belong to Cass Saldanha, 2022.
This design is available for reproduction. Please contact the Designer if you have interest in discuss intellectual property and licensing the rights. - Image Credits
- Cassiano Saldanha
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